Guardian sport

Brady has been target of fan anger with club struggling She says Conference League win was the highlight Karren Brady has stepped down as vice-chair of West Ham. She joined the club’s board in January 2010 and has announced her departure the morning after West Ham drew at Crystal Palace to sit two points above the Premier League’s relegation zone. Brady and the co-owner David Sullivan have been the target of fan anger. In a statement to the Times, Brady said: “It has been a privilege to work alongside the board, management, players, staff and supporters at West Ham United.

Rose signs three-year deal that starts in the summer His previous clubs include Borussia Dortmund Bournemouth have confirmed Marco Rose will replace Andoni Iraola as their head coach this summer. Iraola is stepping away at the end of his contract and Rose has signed a three-year deal to take his first Premier League job. The German, out of work since leaving RB Leipzig in March 2025, managed in the Champions League during his time at Borussia Dortmund, where he coached Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham, and his high-intensity pressing style would appear to make him a good fit for Bournemouth.

Curtis Jones sums up Liverpool’s approach, Eddie Howe’s transfer record under scrutiny and Tammy Abraham shows his worth For Manchester City, Gianluigi Donnarumma has always been a case of risk and reward. Perhaps only Thibaut Courtois is as fine a shot-stopper as Italy’s Euro 2020 hero, though many goalkeepers are better with the ball at their feet. Claudio Bravo, let alone Ederson, would be unlikely to dither in the fashion that alerted Kai Havertz to the possibility of pressing City’s keeper as close as possible for Arsenal’s goal. Donnarumma was the signing who bucked the Pep Guardiola doctrines, and his goalkeeping has been crucial to City’s revival but such mistakes have always been part of the giant Italian’s makeup. Paris Saint-Germain would not meet his wage demands, and opted for Lille’s Lucas Chevalier, a better ball-player as an ill-starred replacement. Donnarumma smothered a good chance for Havertz in the second half. His big mistake, seconds after Rayan Cherki’s opener, did not, after all, become the key twist in the title race. John Brewin Match report: Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal Match report: Everton 1-2 Liverpool Match report: Tottenham 2-2 Brighton Match report: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United Match report: Newcastle 1-2 Bournemouth

Here’s how to follow along with our coverage – the finest writing and up-to-the-minute reports

Manchester City host Arsenal as both aim to gain a huge advantage in the title race while Everton welcome Liverpool to Hill Dickinson Stadium Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Gtech Community Stadium

A seismic clash between City and Arsenal, Tottenham need leadership, and could Eddie Howe recall Yoane Wissa? Josh King learned of the difficulties that come with being a Premier League player at Liverpool on Sunday. The 19-year-old was withdrawn at the break after a tough first half at Anfield as Marco Silva wanted to change things when two goals down. It will be interesting to see how King reacts to the half-time hook when he is next called upon, whether he uses it as inspirational fuel or sees it as an undeserved irritation because he was not solely to blame for Fulham being behind. Silva will have a quandary over whether to start the youngster again or leave him stewing on the bench, offering a further reminder of what is required at the top level. King has impressed over the season and at this stage of a player’s development it is sometimes a good idea to see what lessons are learned from a challenging moment. Will Unwin Brentford v Fulham, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST) Leeds v Wolves, Saturday 3pm Newcastle v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm Tottenham v Brighton, Saturday 5.30pm Chelsea v Manchester United, Saturday 8pm

Mikie Sherrill says taxpayers should not carry burden Costs at World Cup have come under increased scrutiny New Jersey’s governor, Mikie Sherrill, has hit out at Fifa after reports her state’s transport system will charge $100 for a return ticket to World Cup matches this summer. New Jersey Transit lists the price for a round-trip ticket from New York’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium, which will host eight World Cup matches this summer, including the final, as $12.90. The new pricing, reported by The Athletic earlier this week, puts the return ticket at more than $100 with no reductions for children, seniors or people with disabilities. NJ Transit told Fox 5 New York that the price has not been finalized. A decision is expected in the coming days.

Plus: scoring past three keepers in one day, highest ratio of European to domestic titles and a dream result Mail us with your questions and answers “I’ve been wondering: who is the greatest footballer never to make an appearance in England?” muses Cameron Turner. “Did any of the game’s greats go their whole career without visiting the home of football? I think the best bet might be a South American from the 1970s-1990s, though Brazil and Argentina often played friendlies at Wembley.” This question is difficult to answer categorically, mainly because the internet does not yet provide chapter and verse on every football match played by superstars of the black-and-white era. But it’s also far too interesting to leave on the cutting-room floor, so we’ve given it a go with the caveat that the answers are only 99% correct. Just Fontaine (France, 1953-60) Roger Milla (Cameroon 1973-94) Hugo Sánchez (Mexico, 1977-98) Romerito (Paraguay, 1979-90) Abedi Pele (Ghana, 1982-98) Mia Hamm (USA, 1985-2000) Michelle Akers (USA, 1987-2004) Hong Myung-bo (South Korea, 1990-2002)

NJ Transit says no decision has been finalized Trip to New Jersey stadium typically is $12.90 Train tickets from New York City to MetLife Stadium, the New Jersey site of eight World Cup games this summer, are set to increase sevenfold to more than $100 during the tournament, according to a new report. The Athletic reported NJ Transit’s plans for the ticket increase on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the public transportation provider. NJ Transit told Fox 5 New York that the price has not been finalized. A decision is expected in the coming days, the Athletic report said.

Mascherano coached one full season with Messi in Miami Inter Miami have been off to a slow start in 2026 Javier Mascherano has stunningly stepped down as Inter Miami’s manager, just months after leading the team to their first MLS title. In the club’s announcement of the move, Mascherano said he was leaving for “personal reasons,” though later on the announcement specifies that his coaching staff will also depart the club.

De Zerbi looks past Simons, Arsenal fans are not helping their team and Ngumoha can give PSG something to think about Football is such that, when you’re down, there’s a good chance the game boots you in the solar plexus, and that’s exactly what happened to Tottenham at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland’s winner coming by way of a deflection. But you can also take steps to help yourself and, though Roberto De Zerbi’s midfield setup made some sense – he picked three hard-runners in order to compete with Sunderland’s physicality – even pre-match, it wasn’t clear who would create their chances. It’s true that Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Mohammed Kudus are out injured, but in that context, it is surely even more important a place in the XI, whether in midfield or out wide, be found for Xavi Simons, left on the sidelines until the 85th minute. Simons is not perfect, but of the players De Zerbi has available he is the only one with the imagination and technique to make things happen. He may lack physicality, but what Spurs need more than anything is quality. Daniel Harris Match report: Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham Match report: Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth Match report: Chelsea 0-3 Manchester City City improve in good weather, says Guardiola

See which hot shots are leading the way in the English top flight’s goalscoring charts this season

Arsenal host Bournemouth at Saturday lunchtime and De Zerbi leads Tottenham out for the first time at Sunderland Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Emirates Stadium

There are protests planned at Anfield as Roberto De Zerbi starts his Tottenham tenure and Everton eye Europe Nuno Espírito Santo has rolled back the years in an attempt to save West Ham. He has gone old-school, switching to a gung-ho 4-4-2 system to give his side more threat in the final third. Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos, both January arrivals, have altered the face of the attack, but neither forward has been prolific. Castellanos has scored three goals in all competitions since joining from Lazio and Pablo, who is yet to open his account in English football, failed to convert during last week’s penalty shootout defeat by Leeds in the FA Cup. As a pair, though, Castellanos and Pablo have been oddly effective. Are they any good? Unclear. Do they run around a lot and give a previously ponderous West Ham more energy? Undoubtedly. Played together, Pablo and Castellanos do a worthy job for the team. Importantly, they create space for the wingers, Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville, who hopes to return from a calf injury for Friday night’s vital home game against Wolves. Bowen and Summerville are the big threats; they are West Ham’s main source of goals, but both are more dangerous with Pablo and Castellanos in the team. Jacob Steinberg West Ham v Wolves, Friday 8pm (all times BST) Arsenal v Bournemouth, Saturday 12.30pm Brentford v Everton, Saturday 3pm Burnley v Brighton, Saturday 3pm Liverpool v Fulham, Saturday 5.30pm

Plus: teams who went out of Europe without losing a game, and rare competitive meetings Mail us with your questions and answers “What’s the furthest a team has gone in Europe while being relegated in the same season?” wonders Matt Reilly. This question was probably asked in reference to Tottenham, who were still in the Champions League at the time, but it’s still relevant to some of this year’s quarter-finalists. Nottingham Forest are three points above the relegation places in the Premier League; Fiorentina only have a five-point cushion in Serie A. Real Zaragoza 2001-02, first round; 2007-08, first round Alavés 2002-03, second round Celta Vigo 2006-07, last 16 Real Zaragoza 2007-08, first round Real Betis 2013-14, last 16 Espanyol 2019-20, last 32 Blackburn Rovers 1998-99, Uefa Cup first round Bradford City 2000-01, Intertoto semi-final Ipswich Town 2001-02, Uefa Cup third round Ruda Hvezda Brno 1960-61, Cup Winners’ Cup Dynamo Zilina 1961-62, Cup Winners’ Cup Espanyol 1961-62. Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Napoli 1962-63, Cup Winners’ Cup Bayern Munich 1962-63, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1. FC Magdeburg 1965-66, Cup Winners’ Cup Lyn 1968-69, Cup Winners’ Cup Beroe Stara Zagora 1973-74, Cup Winners’ Cup Real Betis 1977-78, Cup Winners’ Cup Bologna 1990-91, Uefa Cup First round Artmedia Bratislavia (2-2 away, 3-1 home) Group stage Sparta Prague (2-0 away), Zulte Waregem (6-2 home), Ajax (2-0 away), Austria Wien (1-0 home) Last 32 Livorno (2-1 away, 2-0 home) Last 16 Maccabi Haifa (0-0 away, 4-0 home) Quarter-final Benfica (3-2 home, 0-0 away) Semi-final Werder Bremen (3-0 home, 2-1 away) Final Sevilla 2-2 (1-3 pens)

As the most played fixture in European competition looms once more, we look back on 50 years of thrills and spills The Champions League’s answer to el clásico resumes in Madrid on Tuesday. Real Madrid v Bayern Munich is the most played fixture in European competition: 28 matches and counting, including 13 knockout ties. Here are six of the best.

Kirby’s class helps stun Arsenal, Palmer shows leadership potential for Chelsea and teenager Shaw makes her mark for Liverpool Securing their Premier League status for another year remains a priority for West Ham and Leeds this season, so the eight changes Nuno Espírito Santo and Daniel Farke made between them for this tie, which developed into a drama-drenched classic, was understandable to a degree. Still, in Ao Tanaka, Leeds have a gem of a fringe player, who looked eager to make something of his opportunity. The Japan midfielder has not started in the league since 14 December, but Leeds fans have consistently called for him to have more involvement and he showed why with a tremendous opener at the London Stadium, which was all of his own making. In stark contrast to Tanaka’s performance was that of Max Kilman, who has not been trusted to start for West Ham since 3 January when they were beaten 3-0 by the bottom club, Wolves. The centre-back looked rusty and gave away what should have been a clear penalty with a poor challenge on Anton Stach – he was even booed by his own fans at points in the game. Dominic Booth

Canada Soccer holding jersey exchange in Toronto Italy failed to qualify for finals after playoff defeat Italian football fans are being encouraged to put their national team’s World Cup 2026 qualification failure behind them – by backing co-hosts Canada instead. Canada Soccer, the national governing body for the sport, is offering a jersey swap on Saturday for fans in Toronto’s Little Italy district. “Dear Italian soccer fans, Don’t wait four more years. Swap your jersey for Canada,” read a post on X.

Plus: qualifying for the World Cup with no more than two wins, a 20-0 victory and scratching a 34-year itch Mail us with your questions and answers “The Bundesliga table shows Bayern Munich on 70 points with an eye-popping goal difference of +72,” pops Chris Fryer. “Has any club won the league with a greater goal difference than points tally?” Bayern Munich have won 22 and lost one in the Bundesliga this season. That was a 2-1 defeat against Augsburg, which means their 22 victories have produced a goal difference of +73. In other words, their average margin of victory is an absurd 3.32 goals. 0.388 Rangers 1898-99 (Scottish First Division) 0.353 Hearts 1957-58 (Scottish First Division) 0.200 Liverpool 1895-96 (Second Division) 0.176 Ajax 1966-67 (Eredivisie) 0.09 Birmingham 1892-93 (Second Division)